Jammu, Nov 29: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Tuesday held a meeting to review the progress of development of various roads and highways connecting different parts of the Union Territory. He impressed upon the officers to complete the Semi-Ring Road for Jammu up to March next year and explore the possibility of ring road around the city for the convenience of commuters. He also asked them to prepare a DPR in this regard.
The Chief Secretary stressed on the officers to prepare a DPR for Kathua-Bani-Sarthal-Bhadarwah-Doda Road without any delay saying it is of great significance with respect to giving boost to tourism in these areas. He directed for connecting it with both Jammu-Srinagar Highway and Sinthan-Kishtwar Road for its maximum utility.
The condition of Sinthan-Kishtwar and Sonamarg Road should be maintained constantly, he said. Dr Mehta asked the authorities to improve the overall road surface of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway so that travel time is reduced to maximum of eight hours. He took notice of the repeated delays made by the executing agencies in completing the T3 and T5 Tunnels on the National Highway and urged them to complete the both without any further delay. He also asked them to look into the possibility of connecting the tourist destinations of Budgam-Yousmarg-Doodhpathri-Tosamaidan-Gulmarg so that all these locations are visited as a package together.
